


God bless.

by anneapocalypse



Series: A Little More Forthcoming [3]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: F/F, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:30:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5251775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anneapocalypse/pseuds/anneapocalypse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Old Bill Ronte doesn't quite know how Dr. Farkas and Major Kieran do what they do, but he knows Freeside would be a lot worse off without them, and so would he.</p><p>Written for the <a href="http://falloutkinkmeme.livejournal.com/6099.html?thread=15493331#t15493331">Fallout Kink Meme</a>, for a prompt requesting a third party perspective on Julie and Elizabeth's relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	God bless.

The streets of Freeside grow cold at night, and on the outskirts of town the squatters huddle around battered steel drums flickering with meager heaps of burning trash. Bill Ronte rubs his aching hands together, close to the flame to warm stiff joints. Arthritis is well set in and the cold nights don’t help, but he can still do a bit of work, thank goodness. Julie slips him a dose of Med-X here and there to take the edge off, free of charge. Well, she says it’s in return for all the good work he does, but Bill knows it’s just the goodness of her own heart. Good work, she says. Oh, Julie. In Bill’s eyes, Julie just might be the best person in all this ruined world.  
  
“Got a light?”  
  
Bill fishes a rusty lighter from his pocket, flicks an orange flame to life. Puts it to the tip of Jacob’s cigarette, Jacob’s fingerless-gloved hands helping to guide. Between the two of them, they keep the whole affair steady enough to light up.  
  
Jacob offers a drag, which Bill takes gratefully and sighs, the warm buzz of nicotine a welcome relief. He’s four weeks sober, four long weeks, good god. His friends in the camp got respect enough not to offer a “little nip to warm you up”—a little nip and he’d find a bottle to crawl inside before morning, sure as the sun rises. Bill shivers, pulls in another drag before handing the cigarette back to Jacob. Smoking ain’t the cleanest habit—Julie wouldn’t like it, no—but it’s better than Dixon’s whiskey. Anything’s better than the hell he went through getting off it. Without Julie and the Followers, without the work to keep his hands busy and the kind words to keep his spirits up, he’d still be down there at the bottom of a bottle. Having enough to eat helps, too.  
  
Jacob smiles a wan smile, tucks the cigarette in the corner of his mouth while he warms his palms over the fire. His hands only tremble a little. Not like the bad shakes he used to get from Dixon’s jet.   
  
Grecks shares their fire, has a stick with some chunks of meat speared on it, most likely rat, that he’s stuck down into the trash to roast the chunks. Doesn’t smell too bad. Must be fresh rat.   
  
Bill pulls a foil packet from inside his jacket—already been down to the Pantry tonight. There’s more and more fresh food available but Bill has to admit there’s a comfort to the gluey old noodles warmed against the side of a hot trashcan that he can’t quite explain. Tastes better than rat, anyway. He tries not to take too much. Leave the best for the women and children, that’s how Bill was brought up. But that Major Kieran is so kind, so warm, always trying to make sure everybody has enough. Even the locals. She’s got nice brown eyes and when Bill stops in to pick up a bit of something for supper she smiles right at him and says, “Say hi to Julie for me.”  
  
From nearby, someone groans. The camp’s full, clusters of NCR folk around the fires and the makeshift beds, but the sound rises above the general din. Time was Bill would’ve let it go, but the Followers and the Major have made him more mindful about helping folk.  
  
“Sound in a bad way, friend,” he says.  
  
This one’s newer in town, but already dirty and hollow-eyed. Freeside does its work quick. She swallows, eyeing Bill’s food. “S-spare a bite?”  
  
“Pantry’s still open, friend,” Bill says. “Down by the old train station. You can get a square meal. Tell the Major old Bill Ronte sent you.” Not that Major Kieran would shut anybody out. These days they even serve Freeside locals, with enough surplus coming in from the sharecroppers and the Major’s squad standing guard to keep the peace. Fights still break out in the streets, of course, and it isn’t safe for NCR folk to roam too far from the camps, but the Food Pantry, like the Mormon Fort, is safe ground now. Folks say it was some courier changed the Major’s mind, with letting in locals like that, but Bill knows better. It was Julie. God bless Julie.

The woman stammers a grateful reply and staggers off in the direction of the station.  
  
So nice for Julie, Bill thinks. It does make him smile, sitting here eating his warm mac and cheese out of the foil packet with a bent spoon. With all the work they do, the Doctor and the Major, it’s a wonder they ever cross paths at all, never mind find time to see each other.  
  
Nevertheless, Bill sees the Major stop into the Mormon Fort now and again, maybe with some word of business, sometimes without the pretense, maybe more often these days. Bill will pause a moment on what generator or whatnot he’s tinkering with and look up just to see them stand for a moment in the corner by the western tower, talking quietly among themselves, watching how Julie’s face warms with a smile, even from across the camp. Once or twice, he’s seen them quickly clasp hands, when no one else was watching. So good for Julie. Warms his old bones to see her look happy. She ought to be happy, with all she does for folk. The Major too. Bless the both of ‘em.   
  
Bill nods to himself, watching Jacob put out his cigarette and find a stick to stoke the fire a bit, hands steadier in the circle of warmth around their little fire.


End file.
